Rigid paint scraper with flexible bends

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a scraper suitable for use in removing material adhering to flat surfaces, e.g. paint. In the presently preferred embodiment, the scraper comprises a blade body, a scraping surface and a handle. The scraping surface extends longitudinally along a bottom edge of the blade body while the handle is affixed to a top edge of the blade body. The blade body comprises an elongate, flat body constructed of a rigid, yet flexible material, e.g. steel. The blade is characterized by a pair of angular bends dividing the blade into a center portion and two end portions, each portion being in a different plane. The bends are preferably positioned on opposite sides of the handle, more preferably equidistant from each end of the blade body. The end portions are angled to opposite sides of the center portion so that the angles are complementary, resulting in the end portions being generally parallel. The angles between the center portion and each end portion are preferably obtuse, more preferably being about 135 degrees. Flexure of the blade at the angular bends as the scraper is moved across a flat surface improves the surface cleaning and paint removal action of the scraper. In the presently preferred embodiment, the scraping surface further includes a plurality of teeth projecting outwardly from the blade body. The flexible bends in the blade allow the scraping force applied through the handle to be evenly distributed along the entire scraping surface, thus facilitating efficient and quick removal of paint across a large surface area.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.